Consequences
One of the consequences that was established during America’s fight against the war on drugs was the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 passed by the U.S. Congress. The 1986 Act established mandatory prison terms for first time drug traffickers: a 5 year and 10 year minimum sentence. These prison terms are triggered exclusively by the quantity and type of drug involved in the offense. Below is the break down of each offense:.
10 year offense:
At least 1 kilogram of heroin or 5 kilograms of powder cocaine of 50 grams of cocaine base- create the 100-to-1 quantity.
5 year offense:
Identical ratio is reflected as well as 500 grams of powder cocaine and 5 grams of cocaine base
source: http://www.ussc.gov/report-cocaine-and-federal-sentencing-policy-2
Solutions
“Just Say No” campaign
While in office from 1981-1989, President Ronald Reagan made tackling America’s drug war a top priority. In 1984 the “Just Say No” campaign was established and lead by First Lady, Nancy Reagan. This campaign’s main mission was to educate the young youth of America on substance abuse and prevention.
First Lady Nancy Reagan Speaking at a “Just Say No” rally in Los Angeles photo from www.wikipedia.org
Here are a couple vintage 1980’s “Just Say No” commercials via youtube! Enjoy! 🙂
D.A.R.E
D.A.R.E logo
Another education program that was established was the Dug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program. D.A.R.E was founded in 1983 by ex-LAPD chief Daryl Gates in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District as an educational program that sought to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs and violent behavior.